Hatch cover and means for mounting the same



U. J. BEAS HATCH COVER AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE SAME Filed Nov. 20, 1958 April 12, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 m r E; Urban .1 Beas BY HI IA TTORNE Y5 April 12, 1960 u. J. BEAS HATCH COVER AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE SAME Filed Nov. 20, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

U. J. BEAS April 12, 1960 HATCH COVER AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE SAME Filed Nov. 20, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 50 s m m M N m B m M n r n. m u H HATCH COVER AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE SAME Filed Nov. 20, 1958 U. J. BEAS April 12, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Urban J. Baas H/S A T TORNE Y5 April 12, 1960 u. J. BEAS HATCH COVER AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE SAME 5 sheets-sheet 5 Filed Nov. 20, 1958 INVENTOR. Urban J. Beas flaws, H 5 ATTORNEYS 1 HATCH COVER AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING 7 Urban J. Beas, Middletown, Pa., assignor tsrntfiifioalii MacGregor Organization, Casablanca, Morocco, a corporation of Morocco. g D Application November 20, 1958 Serial No,775,2 83 "'z'enims. or; 114-102 ThiSilllVfiIltlOIl relates to hatch. covers andfimeans for mounting the same so that ahatchcover can'be moved 2,932,272 Patented Apr. 12, 1960 Pos. 5," these positions Corresponding respectively to Figures 1-5; and

. Figure is a side elevation of a pair of hatch cover panels mountedaccording to the prior art..

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings and for the present to Figure lO which illustrates ;a

t prior known device,'the hatch cover comprises two panto cover and uncover a hatchway-in a surrounding structure. The hatch cover is made upof a plurality of, pan-,

els which are pivotally connected to each other at-gtheir adjacent ends, one ofthe panels, at the end opposite thejotherpanel, beingpivotallyjmounted on a supporting structure. Means is provided forraising and lowering the'panel's When the panels are raised, theyv are folded together and extend inxa substantiallyvertical position at onetsideof theihatchway. When the panels-arelowered, they extend in a substantially horizontaldirection and cover the hatchway.

In the-"past, somedifli'culty 'hasbeenexperienced with iv hatch covers Linade' 11p ofra pluralitylof panels which are folded together to uncover the hatchway, this difficulty being'that, unlessarelatively largeclearance is provided" between the deck' of the-ship and the end of the panel 2:

' farthest w y from. the int abo wh ane ss hinged: to decktt erei talik h o that eend of the panel will contact with the deck of the ship during the early stage of raising the panels or during the late stage of lowering the panels. The present invention overcomes any interference between the panels and the deck by employing a slotted hinge for mounting. the Panels.

According to the invention; the hatch cover comprises a first panel and a secondtpanel pivotally connected together at their adjacent ends, means for raising and lowering said panels, a hinge element having a slot and being mounted in fixed position adjacent the opposite end of said first panel, a hinge pin secured to said first panel and received in said slot, rails extending along the hatchway and rollers connected to the opposite end of said second panel and adaptedjto run on said rails. I In a preferred form of the invention, a platform is located beels 2 and 4 pivotally connected at 6 at their adjacent ends. The oppositeend of-panel 2is pivotally mounted a at 8 and the opposite endof panel 4 is provided .with

rollers 10 which run on a'rail 12 when the cover is raised I a or lowered as by means of achainl l connected at 16 to the panel 2 or by any other means. i The rails 12 have a sloping portion l2a and a horizontal portion 12b. The cover is located in a hatchway defined by a surrounding structure 18and 20 which may be a ship's deck. A; disadvantage of this known structure is that when the hatch cover-is of a size to fit closely within the hatchway when. the panels are in horizontal position, the end 220i thepanelgl interfereswith the. deck 18 duringthe early stage of raising the cover or during the late stage nf lowering the cover, as is illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 10. This interference is avoidedin accord ce with my invention. .Referring -now tq Figures-.1 9, wl1ich illustrate the present invention, thecover comprises two-panels 24 and 26 which are pivotally connected together at their adjacent ends by hinge pins 28 fitting in hinge .elements 30 secured to the panel 26 andhinge elements 32secured to 'the panel 2'4. vMeans -is provided for. raising and -lowering.the panels, ,Asillustrated, a chain 34 secured to a lu-g 36 on thepanel 24 maybe used for this purpose. The end of panel 26. opposite panel ,24 is providedfwith twp rollers 33 which run on rails 4Q located:along the sides of the hatchway. Each of the rails 40 has an inclined portion 40a and a horizontal portion 40b. The cover is located within a hatchway defined by a deck portion 42 and a deck portion 44.

The. end of the panel 24 which is opposite the panel 26 is mounted in a slotted hinge assembly indicated generally by reference numeral 46, this slotted hinge assembly being shown in more detail in Figures 7 and 8. A post 48 is mounted on a fixed support 50 and the post is providedwith a slot 52 which extends upwardly and to the right as viewed in Figure 1. The slot 52 receives a hinge pin 54 which extends through an opening 56 in each 'of two legs 58 connected to a bracket 60 secured neath said first panel and a stop is connected to the underside of said. first panel and is adapted to contact said platform upon lowering said panels, thereby causing said hinge pin to ride up in said slot.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention and also a prior art structure,

Figures 1 through 5 are side elevations of a pair of panels forming a hatch cover mounted according tomy invention, the figures showing five different positions'of the panels from the fully closed to the fully open positions; I

Figure 6 is a plan view of a hatch cover according to my invention, this figure being on a smaller scale than Figures 1-5; v

Figure 7 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of the slotted hinge according to my invention;

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken on the line VIII.- VIII of Figure 7; V

Figure'9 is a composite diagrammatic view showing the panels in the five different positions labeled Poulplatform 76 and rolls slightly toward the hinge 46. Durto a support 62. The support 62 is connected by angles 64 to a member 66 forming a part of the panel 24. The hinge pin 54 extends through openings in the bosses 68 formed on the hinge legs 58 and is secured in place by pins 70. From the above, it is evident that the panel 24' carries a pin 54 which is received in the slot. 52

formed in the post 48. Rollers 72' are carried by brackets 74 which are secured to the underside of the panel 24. The rollers run on a platform 76.

The operation of my device is as follows.

As the panels are raised by lifting the chain 34 or byk any other suitable means, the panels assume the various positions shown in Figures l-S, which positions are also shown in Figure 9; As the cover starts to open from Position 1, the hinge pin 54 rides down in the slot 52 from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2 and then to the position shown in Figure 3 at whichthe hinge pin is at the bottom of the slot. During movement of the panels from Position 1 through Position 2 to Position 3, the rollers 38 roll only slightly on the inclined portion 40a of rails 40. During this same portion of the cover movement, roller 72 rests on ing the remainder of ,the opening cycle, i.e., when the pandeck-portion 42. i

els are'moving from Position through Position 4 to Position 5, panel 24 pivots about hinge 54 while that hinge pin is at the,bottom of the slot 52. As the panels leave Posi tion 3 in their movement towards Positions '4jand" 5, theroller 72 leaves the platform 76 and describesfthe arc -a shown in Figure 9; During this same movement of the panels, pin 2fi describes the bfsh o wnin Figure 9.

"In loweringthe cover, panel- 2 4-pivots aboutjhi'ng'e pin 54 while thehin ge pin is'at the-bottom of the slot 52 until Position 3 is'reac h ed At Position 3, as shown in Figure 3, roller-12 contacts plat'form 76; thereby forcing'hingepin 54to-ride'1ip;in slot 52 causing rollerv72 toijrf'oll slightly to the right as viewed in Figure 9 from PositionB -through Position Ito-Position 1; As is evident from the "above description; as the-cover moves from' Plosition 1 through Position 2' to'Po'sition 3, the hin ge pin 54 rides down iri the slot 52 thereby 'rnoving'bothgpanels 24 m 26 toward the left as viewed in Figure 1 so that there is -no interference betweenthe end 264; ofpanel2i6 andthe deckportion42j Also; as

lowered from Position '3 through Position -2 to Position 1; 'the liinge'pin S4 rides up irr'the slot 52, thereby 'niov- 24 and 26 to the right soas-to leaveonly ing ithe'panels the end 26a of panel 26 and'the panel, said slot sloping upwardly and toward said secind panel, a hinge pin secured to said first panel and received in said slot and adapted for moving therein during the lowering and raising movements of said panels, rails extending along the hatchway, rollers connected to the opposite end of said second panel and adapted to run onfsaid rails, as platform located beneath said first panel,

'1 and 'astsp connected to the underside'of said first panel and adapted to contactsaid platform upon lowering said panelfs',-thereby causing saidhinge pin to ride-up in said slot. e

2. A hatch cover and means for'mounting the'same so it'can pe moved to cover and uncover a hatchway in a surrounding structure, which comprises a first panel .and a second panel 'pivotally' connected together at their adjacent ends', means for raising and lowering said panels, a hinge element havingv a slot and being mounted in fixed-position adjacent the opposite end of said'first is evident from the above description, as the cover is panel, said slot sloping upwardly and toward said secondpanel ahinge pin secured to said first panel and rec'eived in said slot andnda'pte'd for moving therein during the lowering and raising movements of said panels,

I rails extending along the hatchway, rollers connected to the opposite end of said second panel and adapted to fixed position adjacent the opposite-end of 'said first runon' said rails, a platform located beneath said'first panel; and a roller connected to the underside ofsaid first paneland adapted to contact said platform upon lowering saidp'a'nels, thereby causing saidhinge pin to ride up in said slot. i

' References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS raid-L928 I Farrell May 10,1944 FOREIGN PATENTS a 977;480 France Apr. 2, 1951 Great Britain July 11', 1951 

